Sacrifice of Heart
by Talesofwovensilver
Summary: Time Travel fic. What if Jace and Clary's confrontation had gone differently in City of Glass and Clary hadn't made it out of the house. What if Jem didn't fall in love with Tessa but another, young fiery girl. Jem/Clary
1. Chapter 1

_**This is set in City of Glass and everything from this point onwards is my imagination of how Jace and Clary's confrontation could have gone differently. I own none of the characters and the shadow hunter world belongs to Cassandra Clare.**_

 **Clary POV:**

As Aline walked past me I pointedly ignored her. My mind telling me this had been a REALLY bad idea. I just stared at Jace as he ran his hands through his hair.

"What are you doing here Clary!" He yelled at me. His golden eyes alight with fury.

"I portalled here! After you LEFT ME in New York! Without even telling me!" I yelled back in indignation.

"By the Angel Clary! I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to come! You always mess things up!" By now Alec and Isabelle had gravitated towards the shouting.

"I always mess things up?" I asked incredulously. "You said after what I did on Valentine's ship, that I saved everyone's lives!"

"What happened on-" Alec began to ask in confusion. But Jace cut him off. His furious gaze completely focused on me.

"I only said that so you'd stop whining! You're rash and you're reckless, and you never think before doing something! You want to be a shadow hunter. But you're not and you never will be."

With every word I felt a near physical pain, so much so that I wanted to double over and let the tears flow. But I didn't because no matter what Jace said I was a warrior and I wouldn't let him see how much those words hurt me.

Instead I whirled around and walked out the room. But at the doorway I turned around.

"When you told me you were Valentine's son I didn't believe you. Not just because I didn't want to. But because I thought you were nothing like him. But you are. With your poisonous words aimed only to wound." My voice was choked with emotion. "You are!"

I turned and flew down the stairs, intent on getting as far away as possible. However, half way down the stairs something compelled me to stop and take a right on the next landing.

There I saw Max looking at me curiously. A rune appeared in my mind and quickly I knelt in front of him, a few feet away. Taking out my stele I remembered Max hadn't gotten his Angelic rune yet, but like when I got my first rune, I knew this wouldn't harm him. Call it intuition.

"Come here Max. I have something for you. I promise it won't hurt." I motioned for him to give me his arm. This rune would only work taken willingly and with trust. Hesitantly Max gave me his arm. I smiled reassuringly at him before rolling his right sleeve up to his shoulder and placing the rune at the top of his bicep. It looked slightly like a cross with a loop at the top.

Max let out a sigh of relief once nothing happened to him. He smiled at me and I smiled back at him before ruffling his hair and standing up.

"This rune will give you protection"

I heard someone yelling my name, "Clary?"

I turned back to Max panicked. "You're a cool kid Max. I know we haven't spent much time together but you're like the little brother I never had. If you can tell Simon I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye and he's the best friend in the world." I gave him a quick peck on the forehead when he nodded, "Thanks Max."

Then I spun around and whacked my stele to the wall. Drawing a portal I flashed Max one more smile. Telling him, "Don't tell anyone about that rune Max. Promise me."

He stared at me wide eyed, "I swear it on the Angel. I won't tell."

"Thank you Max." I breathed out in relief.

With that I stepped into the swirling mass of the Portal, the only thing on my mind was, 'Get me as far away from Jace Morgenstern as possible!'

 **Jace POV:**

I was frozen as Clary ran out of the room. I could hear her feet pounding on the stairs and all I could do was stare at the spot where she had left. Her words kept playing in my mind. The venom and pain with which she had spoken made me sure she ment what she said.

She only spoke to people she loathed that way. She'd spoken to me that way. What had I done? I was in shock. Everything I'd said to Clary. I'd been describing myself. Not her. I'd crushed her dreams in my hand like they were nothing and now she hated me.

Isabelle stared at me. "Oh Jace." She spoke quietly. "What have you done?" She closed her eyes in disbelief.

When she opened them again she along with Alec were looking at me with mixed emotions.

Alec shook his head before saying, "She hasn't left the house yet, we should go after her."

I nodded my head numbly. Not yet fully understanding. Alec just shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh before heading out the room with Isabelle right behind him.

 **Alec POV:**

Jace was an idiot. It was official. He may be my parabatai but I wasn't immune to his faults. He needs to learn to think before saying things. It could get him into a fix I can't get him out of one day. If it hasn't already. Clary is extremely stubborn. She might never speak to Jace again after that fiasco. He knew all the right buttons to press to set her off and he pressed them all. Honestly! What did he think was going to happen when he told her she'd never be a true shadow hunter! What a stupid thing to say. Me and Clary might not be on the best of terms but even I know that's going too far.

I ran faster. We had to get to her before she left the house. Growing up in New York me and Izzy weren't very familiar with the streets of Idris so it was better we found her before she could get lost in the crowds.

"Clary?" I called out. Just in hope that she might hesitate for a moment. I could hear Isabelle calling out behind me.

I turned the corner on the next landing when I heard something and what I saw froze me to the core. Isabelle was right behind me and I heard her sharp intake of breath. No! This couldn't be happening! We'd never get her back and on top of that it was dangerous. I ran as fast as I could, Izzy right on my heels.

 **Max POV:**

After Clary applied her rune, I felt somehow 'Safer'? That was one way to put it. I wasn't completely sure, but I trusted Clary. She understood me more than the others did. It was hard not being able to do the same things that they could.

So when she asked me to promise her I wouldn't tell, I promised. It would be our secret. She obviously had a reason.

I heard Isabelle and Alec calling her name but Clary had already made a portal and she stepped through it just as Alec and Izzy rounded the corner. When they saw the portal they froze before beginning to sprint. But it was too late. The portal closed with one last flash of Clary's waist length, flaming red hair.

 **Clary's POV:**

I was falling. When the spinning stopped my instincts told me to roll. So as I hit the floor, I came up from a roll and what I saw put all the muscles in my body on alert.

Dozens of metal creatures were swarming what I assumed was an institute.

 _ **A/N: This chapter is just introducing how Clary ends up in the London Institute. Setting the scene if you like. Review and tell me what you think!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**To the dear, beautiful guest reviewer! You were the only one who reviewed but you lifted my spirits and this fanfic is for you! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Also, I do not have my copy of Clockwork Angels/Prince here so I am trying to get the timelines right but if I don't I will try to rectify the problem as soon as I get my book(s) back. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Just confirming, I have changed from 1st person to 3rd person as it's my preferred way of writing and the only reason I didn't use it in the first chapter was I thought it would be better to showcase each of the individual persons thoughts.**

 _London Institute. 1878._

When Clary came up from her roll she saw dozens of metal creatures attacking what seemed like an institute.

Amongst the chaos Clary spotted a young man slashing and stabbing away the creatures as if his life depended on it. Which in retrospect it probably did.

The fact that there was only one person defending the institute ment the rest of the shadow hunters were probably away for some reason or another.

She didn't say all the inhabitants because the young man who was doing quite well in keeping the metal creatures at bay was stood at the foot of the stairs and wasn't letting any of the creatures past him. Especially well if the lack of runes on him meant what she thought it did. Which was that he was a mundane. Still, he was slowing and Clary could see he had sustained multiple injuries that were slowing him down.

He was probably grieving as well, Clary noted as she saw the dead body of a woman near a far wall, fallen in a doorway. Like she had been cut down whilst running.

Clary was wearing the gear she had found at Amatis's but had nothing but her stele on her.

Applying some rushed runes to gerself, she dove into the fray.

As she got closer she noticed the young man was sweating profusely and breathing heavily but he carried on his assault of the creatures.

A rune appeared in her head just as one of the metal creatures turned to her. With the rune pulsing faster and faster like it was about to disappear Clary took the risk and violently scribbled the round on the metal giant in front of her.

Before her eyes the creature seemed to seize up and Clary had to hurriedly jump back as it fell apart and hundreds of metal parts came crashing down. Well that was useful. Destructive, but then, she was a Nephilim. They killed things for fun. Though generally that was demons. It was in her blood to be destructive.

Unfortunately the rune that had been pulsing behind her eyes disappeared and Clary had to doge the next metal object that swing at her.

Glancing to the man again, she had an idea.

Running up to him. "Give me your sword. You need to fetch the leader of the institute and I don't know who or where they are."

Still slashing the man looked towards her like he was going to refuse but caught sight of her gear, stele and runes and after a moments more hesitation said, "Don't let them past this staircase. That is imperative. People might die otherwise. I will be as quick as I can."

Clary nodded. "I understand. I will do everything I can to protect them and no creature will get past this staircase as long as I still stand." Clary had to dodge another metal limb, that was promptly sliced off by her companion.

"I'll be as fast as I can. Here. Take this when I say."

Waiting for his go ahead Clary took the sword and immediately began slashing. She surprised herself with her efficiency. Sure, she was getting better but she had only just started shadow hunter training. It was like someone was guiding her movements.

The man quickly ran to fetch the institutes head and Clary continued dismantling the creatures. Another rune flashed behind her eyes and as she leant backwards to avoid a sharp metal spear type object, quick as a viper she whipped her stele out and without looking, traced the burning rune onto her skin.

Almost immediately, it was like everything had slowed down. She could move normally and whilst the metal creatures were still moving they were more like clumsy, untrained mundanes moving through treacle than the deadly, killing machines she knew they were. It was like the rune had made the air around her dense enough that the surrounding organisms or machines in this case, couldn't move through it properly.

Twirling around in a half circle Clary put all her power behind a downward swing and it went straight through one of the creatures. Gaping, Clary kept moving. Chopping, slicing, slashing and stabbing.

As she built up momentum Clary became more vicous in her attacks. She didn't know exactly what these things were but they had attacked the institute and if she had to defend the staircase then they were obviously after something in the institute. Or someone.

Thet made her blood boil and she let out a weird, half deranged screech, half hysterical laugh as she cut through the next ghastly metal creature, her sword slicing straight in one side of the machine and out the other, severing the top half from the bottom.

 **A/N: This is quite a slow story, I'm still planning it so this is the most I feel comfortable posting at the moment. I know it's a small chapter so I'll try and post again soon. Review what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would just like to say thank you to all the people who took the time to review my story. This chapter is for you. Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.**

Will raced into the institute grounds, where he met Charlotte, Henry and Thomas, who all looked exactly the same as he did.

Will dismounted Balios and ran to them.

"What's going on?"

"The Institutes been attacked, Thomas came to fetch us. We must go now." Charlotte's tone was brisk and she was moving even before she finished her sentence.

They burst into the institute through the already wide, flung open doorway and were met with a sight that none, not even Thomas had expected.

A small, fiery haired woman who moved like the wind was cutting her way through the automatons like they were butter.

She let out a deranged sound that made everyone present freeze.

The top half of the automation she had just slashed through came crashing down and knocked everyone out of their stupor. They unanimously decided to leave the flame haired woman be for now, she seemed to be on their side and they had enough to deal with.

"They're in the sanctuary." Thomas muttered to Will.

Charlotte, Henry and Thomas rushed forward to join the fight, but Will dashed past them all to the staircase that led to the sanctuary.

But when he reached the foot of the stairs the woman came rushing towards him and blocked his pathway.

From close up Will could see she was more of a girl than a woman yet, with bright green eyes that shone with ferocity and determination.

"I need to get up there. You need to move!" Will shouted at her.

Her gaze briefly flickered behind him for a second, he didn't know what she was looking for, but the next second she was spinning again and his path up the stairway was clear. He pelted up there full speed.

* * *

As the blue-eyed man that so reminded her of Alec sped up the stairs, Clary moved to slash another metal creature, making her way over to the man who had gone to fetch the institute heads.

He had somehow procured another sword.

"My name's Clary."

The man looked at her like she was mad, but responded anyway.

"Thomas."

Clary had to stop talking then, as a jagged edged sword swung in direction.

Soon enough, all that was left of the metal contraptions lay in pieces on the floor, which now looked like a sea of metal.

Clary felt herself sagging. She wasn't used to fighting yet, she was still learning and she had been going on instinct that whole time. Now though, the adrenaline was wearing off and she could feel all the many minute cuts and scratches she had received from the metal creatures and the debris.

She looked around her. The two people who came in with Thomas and the blue-eyed-Alec-look-alike seemed to jolt her memory somewhat.

They both looked mightily familiar, and it wasn't until the woman turned in her direction that she realised why.

In the chaos earlier she hadn't had the time to properly analyse them. But give the woman the man's hair, and apart from her eyes she looked eerily similar to how Clary expected she would look in a few years time. There were a few more noticeable differences, but at first glance they looked like they could have been her parents.

Clary blinked but she couldn't quite comprehend it. It was like her brain was finally catching up with everything that had happened in the last couple of hours.

The last thing she heard was a rushed clopping of hooves, and then a slender, silver haired man entered and all Clary had time to think was, _I wonder why they're all wearing such odd clothes, and why didn't I notice it before?_

Then everything went dark.

* * *

Jem had just caught up to the institute after Will had rushed off in a mad dash. He noticed the doors wide open, but it was silent so Jem doubted there was fighting going on. But he still brandished his cane, ready for the possibility he might be attacked as soon as he entered.

He stopped and stared, all thoughts of possible enemies to confront fleeing from his mind. After all, it looked like all the enemies had already been dealt with. If the sea of metal debris was anything to go by.

Standing of to the side was Charlotte, Henry and Thomas.

But in the centre of the debris stood a dazed looking fiery haired young woman. She held a sword in her hand. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to it, as the weight of the sword drove the tip to hang just above the ground.

Bright green eyes met his, just before the small figure collapsed. Jem rushed forward to catch her before she cracked her head on the stone floor, or got herself impaled on the metal debris.

Up close Jem could see the girl for what she really was. Which was just that, a girl, probably around his age. She was also absolutely beautiful. He'd never seen anybody with who looked like her before. all her features were stunning. Not just one or two like most women, but all of them. Her eyes, skin, hair and stature all added to her beauty.

But Jem wasn't concentration on that. He was more worried about her health. She didn't wake when he tried to rouse her. He got increasingly worried when she didn't seem to even so much as flinch when he pinched her arm.

Her breath were shallow and he frowned.

Lifting her up, he addressed Charlotte.

"I'm taking her to the infirmary. Call a Silent Brother."

Charlotte nodded. "I was going to anyway. We have no idea who she is."

Jem let that sink in, before striding off towards the infirmary.

Once he got there he lay her on a bed, before lying down on the one next to hers. He felt utterly drained. He **had** taken his _yin fen_ before he left earlier. But it hadn't been enough. He could feel his health straining, the rise and fall of his chest became heavy and he closed his eyes for a moment. Blankness carpeted his mind as he let himself fall into exhaustion in the infirmary bed, next to the bed of the pretty, fiery haired mystery who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just telling you all, I don't know what year City of Glass is set in, so this could be wrong.**

* * *

" _Clarissa Morgenstern."_

The voice sounded in Clary's head. It was an alien, yet familiar feeling, and Clary felt dread at the fact that she had again required the silent brothers help for whatever reason.

"Fray." Clary responded immediately, her head hurting too much for her to bother moving, even with the presence of the silent brother prickling her senses.

" _Morgenstern is your father's name is it not?"_

Clary had rarely heard a silent brother ask such a rhetorical question before, but she didn't think much on it.

 _Fray, or Fairchild if you must._ She wasn't taking no for an answer.

" _Fairchild, it is then."_

Clary was surprised at how easily she had gotten the silent brother to acquiesce to her request. So much so that she opened her eyes from where they were shut heavily in exhaustion.

The crisp cold sheets that surrounded her fell as she shakily hoisted herself upwards, and blinked her fire red hair out of her eyes, absently brushing a strand behind her ear as she positioned herself to look at the figure at the end of her bed.

Figures, she mentally amended.

Two silent brothers stood at the foot of her infirmary cot. Both dressed in the customary parchment robes of the brotherhood.

" _Clarissa Fairchild. Are you aware of your current position?"_

"Position?" Clary rubbed her arms to stop the goose bumps from forming as she took in the otherwise empty infirmary.

" _Where you are, Miss Fairchild."_

"I'm in an institute. The infirmary I'm guessing." Clary was hesitant with her answer, feeling as though she wasn't quite understanding the question.

" _Correct. But I was referring to the time frame."_

"Time frame?" Dread started to slide through her bones as she caught onto what the silent brothers where implying.

The foreign institute. The odd clothing. Even the woman that had looked so similar to her.

" _Yes. You are correct in your deductions. We assume that the rune that you utilised to create a portal from Idris reacted with the wards and brought you here. As far as it could away from Idris, which included travelling through time."_

"So where am I now?" All the muscles in Clary's body seemed to seize up as she realised quite how far away she was from everything and everyone she knew. Struggling to stay in control of her emotions, Clary didn't immediately pick up on what the Silent Brother said.

" _You are in the London Institute, 1878."_

1878\. London. The London Institute in 1878.

Her head was spinning and Clary wasn't entirely surprised when she started to black out.

" _Miss Fairchild."_

She dimly heard the Silent Brother try and keep her awake, but it was futile.

* * *

When Clary regained consciousness again she was in the same place she'd fallen asleep.

" _Clarissa Fairchild."_

Clary almost groaned at hearing the Silent Brother in her head. She didn't want to deal with this right now.

" _Be that as it may, it is imperative you understand the situation."_

Clary sighed, but realised it was better to get it over with now so she could be left alone quicker.

"I'm listening."

" _The Clave has been alerted of your presence here, and is looking into the situation. A representative will be sent to meet you and a trial is highly probable. As that is, you arrived at a very busy time, due to which you may not be first priority, though you may be asked to give testimony as you appeared in the middle of an attack, and helped prevent a situation."_

Here the first Brother stepped back slightly and allowed the other to speak.

" _As you're still young, and not yet a full-fledged shadow hunter, you will be expected to stay under the custody of an institute. As you have asked to be referred to as a Fairchild, you will be allowed to remain in the London Institute and train here under Charlotte Branwell née Fairchild as this is where you arrived and it appears you are blood related to her, so she has petitioned for temporary custody of you. She is fully aware of the situation, and will be there to tell you what is expected of you."_

The other Brother took over from there. Clary wasn't sure why they were taking turns but figured they weren't going to tell her even if she asked.

" _It would be wise to listen to Mrs Branwell as you have arrived in an unfamiliar time and place, and will need guidance to understand the rules by which you are expected to act. The Clave was unsure on whether to allow you to train, but we have looked through your memories and found you not to be a threat. But the Clave is still monitoring you and breaking the rules would be unwise."_

Clary felt slightly threatened by all the talk of rules, and that the Brothers had gone through her memory. But she understood enough to know that she was being let off relatively easily due to a more pressing situation that she assumed had to do with the metal creatures.

" _Automatons Miss Fairchild."_

Right. Automatons.

"Can I rest now?" Clary was surprised at how small her voice sounded.

" _You may. Mrs Branwell will be in to check on you soon enough."_

With that the brothers quickly left the infirmary, and Clary was left staring at the blank wall in front of her. It had a cot resting against it, identical to the one she sat in, only it was unoccupied. Looking to her right Clary saw all the beds to her right and across were all empty too.

Turning to the left she expected to be faced with more empty cots but almost jumped to see the one to her immediate left was in fact occupied. How she'd managed to miss that she didn't know. It was almost unnerving.

As it was, she started. Her heart beat faster, expecting the figure to be staring back at her, when in fact they were still.

Looking closer, Clary saw it was a boy about her age. Interestingly enough he had silver hair, and he looked quite sickly. She was surprised to note there was nobody else in the room with him. She would have thought with him looking so ill there would be someone there.

But then again she reminded herself, their institute had just been attacked. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out but perhaps they were still dealing with the aftermath of it.

Deciding it would be easier to get a closer look at the young man in the cot than dwell on what the silent brothers had told her, Clary slid her feet out of the cot, no longer so interested in resting.

When her bare feet hit the floor Clary froze, but fortunately, only her shoes had been removed, nothing else.

Deciding she didn't need her shoes for the moment, Clary didn't bother looking for them.

Ignoring the voice in her head that told her this was slightly creepy Clary moved closer to the bed, moving around so she could catch a glimpse of the young man's face.

He was very thin, but still obviously muscular, which wasn't really a surprise, seeing the runes on the boy's neck. The rest of him being covered.

His features were very delicate. With soft, fine looking hair, high cheekbones and thin eyelids that fluttered as though he were dreaming.

Her fingers itched to draw him.

Clary was watching the boy so intently she didn't realise the very face she'd been admiring had changed slightly.

She must have been staring into the silvery eyes for seconds before her brain caught up and she let out a startled exclamation, falling back from where she'd been crouched next to the cot.

Her elbow hit the stone floor, sending a wave of pain spiking through the joint.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." The boy's voice was soft and sounded truly apologetic, even though Clary had been the one who had shoved her face next his, invading his personal space.

Feeling her cheeks flame, Clary picked herself up off the floor, so she was standing, only then she didn't know what to do because the young man's eyes had followed her up and she was just standing there awkwardly.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's quite alright. There is really no need to apologise." The silvery boy gave her a reassuring smile that she felt herself returning.

"I should introduce myself. I'm James Carstairs, but you call me Jem." The boy seemed to notice her unease because he didn't wait for a pause before introducing himself, something Clary found herself grateful for.

"Clarissa Fairchild. Although I prefer Clary Fray, just Clary is fine though." It came out rushed, but Jem didn't seem to mind. Just smiling easily at her.

"Clary it is then. I don't mean to pry, but I haven't seen you here before, and Charlotte didn't seem to kno-"

Jem's questioning was cut off as he started coughing, making Clary rush forward, drawing her stele without thinking.

As the silver haired boy's coughing fit tapered off Clary noticed how tired he looked, and again catalogued he looked quite sickly.

With an iratze in mind, she lifted her stele.

* * *

"May I?"

Jem lifted heavy eyes to concentrate on the girl – Clary – again. Her flaming red hair was really quite distracting, as were her green eyes, but Jem sighed as he realised he'd have to explain why an iratze wouldn't work on him. There was no wound to heal.

"Iratze's won't work. As much as I appreciate the concern, it's an illness rather than a wound so it can't be healed by a rune."

Jem felt a weight settle over him at the distressed look that crossed Clary' face. It was always stressful explaining his illness to other people, and Jem wasn't sure he was up to it currently. Vaguely Jem wondered why Will wasn't here, but decided it might just make the situation worse. He could be very hostile to people, and Jem didn't want Clary to feel uncomfortable.

Though it would have been helpful to have him, or anyone really, perhaps Charlotte here to explain his illness. It didn't occur to him not to tell her, it felt wrong seeing how concerned she looked.

When Jem started coughing again he startled a bit when a small hand gently but firmly pressed against his shoulder, helping to prop him up as another pillow was added to his cot.

Normally Jem would be recovering in his own room, but he'd convinced Charlotte not to go to the trouble of moving him when there were so many other things to do. She'd seemed unsure, but then the silent brother's had arrived and he'd fallen asleep before the conversation could be continued.

"Perhaps you shouldn't talk too much." Clary handed him a glass of water from his bedside table and when it looked as though he wouldn't be able to hold it by himself she applied a rune to it.

Something that surprised Jem. People rarely used runes on objects. It could often burn straight through them. But this one didn't. When the glass was handed to him Jem felt rather than saw that it was a rune to make to glass feather light.

Gratefully, Jem sipped the water, not wanting to risk another coughing fit.

Leaning back slightly he took the time to get a close up look of Clary. He'd been a bit too disorientated when he'd first woken up to find her staring at him, barely managing not to move.

As he'd noticed earlier, her hair looked like fire. Not quite red, but not ginger either. It was long, down to her waist in a tumble of loose curls, and she had smooth, creamy porcelain skin and a generous scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and shoulders.

Her eyes were a bright green colour, one he hadn't seen before, and really drew attention to her face. She also had a small nose that seemed to go with her short stature.

Jem could see the resemblance to Charlotte in her height. She was almost the exact height as Charlotte, although he couldn't be sure until he set them next to each other.

She was also wearing gear, although he couldn't see any weapons, but she held the stele in her hand with confidence and ease, so he assumed she was practiced at using them.

"Perhaps." Realising he should probably reply to her, he took the chance to resume their previous conversation.

"Maybe you could tell me more about yourself. You said you were a Fairchild?"

Jem settled his eyes on Clary as she seemed to think something over in her head.

"Yes. My mother's maiden name is Fairchild and that's the only Nephilim name I will answer too. But I wasn't raised as a shadow hunter so I'm more familiar with the name Fray."

Seeing Jem's curious look Clary realised she'd have to elaborate.

"It's quite a long story, and there are more important things you need to know, which might be a little hard for you to believe, but I've been told your head of the Institute – Charlotte Branwell – knows, as do the silent brothers, so they can tell you I'm not making this up."

Now Jem was very curious. What was she going to say that would be so outlandish she had to assure him she was serious beforehand?

"I used a rune to transport me out of Alicante, only it seems to have diverged slightly and I ended up in 1878 instead of 2007. Which is the year I came from."

Clary was waiting anxiously for Jem's reaction.

Which was to stare at her blankly before looking very confused.

"Pass that by me again? You're from what?"

"2007."

Now generally Jem would have assumed this was Will playing a trick on him. But Charlotte hadn't known who she was and she'd almost certainly been visited by the silent brothers. Add to the fact that Will wasn't here.

But really it was the look on Clary's face that made him realise she was telling the truth. She looked as though she was just waiting for him to tell her he didn't believe her, and he could also see that if he did she'd probably stop talking to him all together. That wasn't the face of someone pulling a practical joke.

She was being utterly serious. A rune had gone wrong and transported her here from the future.

It would explain the freckles on her shoulders though. It was an odd thought, Jem knew, but he didn't know many (if any) woman that showed enough skin for freckles to form under the sun. So her being from a different time would mean a different culture (or so Jem assumed. Things did tend to move and change with time) that would mean freckles on her shoulders would be perfectly normal.

Jem closed his eyes once he realised he'd just justified that this girl had travelled from 2007 to 1878 by the freckles on her shoulders.

Opening them again, Jem focused his silver eyes on Clary's own green ones.

"I believe you. You're too serious to be telling anything but the truth."

Clary looked surprised, but that quickly morphed into astonishment, and then (dare he say it) joy.

She looked so happy just that he believed her. Jem then knew he'd done the right thing by doing so.

"Thank you Jem. I thought it was going to be a struggle for anyone to take me seriously."

Jem just smiled at her. He understood, and she seemed to realise that because she beamed and it seemed to light up her whole face.

Neither of them had seemed to notice that Clary had moved to sit on the edge of Jem's bed.

"So why don't you tell me more about yourself."

Clary did. She seemed to find it easy to talk to Jem. He was a good listener and she managed to tell him pretty much everything that had happened since she found out she was a shadow hunter, leaving out a few things due to them still being quite raw, or too embarrassing.

She skated over the parts about Jace, something Jem noticed but didn't confront her on.

Neither of them noticed a figure stood in the doorway.

Once Clary had finished the figure stepped out from the Shadows and cleared their throat quietly to get the two's attention.

* * *

Charlotte had been coming to check on Jem and their new ward when she'd heard voices coming from the infirmary.

Not wanting to interrupt (and yes, she had been intending to eavesdrop) she'd hidden, and she'd been surprised at what she'd heard. The silent brothers had told her Clarissa hadn't been raised as a shadow hunter but this hadn't been what she had expected. She didn't know what she'd expected, but it still surprised the small woman.

Deciding it was probably time to reveal herself Charlotte had stepped out the shadows and cleared her throat gently.

She hadn't then expected for Clary to start so violently. The small girl had stood up and positioned herself between Charlotte and Jem almost as if it were instinctual. Holding her stele as if it were a weapon (although, if what she heard was to believed, for this girl it was her best weapon).

That was another thing that surprised Charlotte. Hearing the girl explain her back story and with the Silent Brothers warning, she had expected the girl to be fairly untrained, though her performance taking down the automatons would argue differently. She seemed a lot sharper than she gave herself credit for.

"It's okay. It's just Charlotte. She'd the Head of the London Institute."

Jem's voice cut through the tension, and Charlotte was again surprised at how easily the girl let her guard down once Jem had spoken.

The girl looked at her curiously, and Charlotte noted she would need some new clothes. The ones she was wearing were gear, and they'd been torn slightly in some places.

She couldn't help but wonder how familiar the girl would be with dresses as she stood so comfortably in trousers and sleeveless shirts.

"Hello. As Jem said, I'm Charlotte Branwell, nee Fairchild. I believe the Silent Brothers told you that you had been placed in my care?"

Clary nodded in acknowledgement, her hair bouncing slightly as the curls moved with her head.

The colour of her hair was a matter of interest to Charlotte, as the girl looked very similar to her, but Charlotte could recognise that shade of hair as being Henrys and it lit a small flame of hope in her. Though it confused her as to why the girl would carry the name Fairchild if she was Charlotte's descendant, surely she would be a Branwell?

Not letting herself dwell on the thoughts, Charlotte continued talking.

"Well, if you're feeling well enough perhaps I could take you to your new room, and we could sort out some clothes for you."

The girl looked surprised, but nodded hesitantly.

"What about Jem?" Clary gestured to Jem, who was still sat in the hospital bed.

"Perhaps I could send Thomas to help Jem to his room?" Charlotte's question answered Clary's own, whilst also enquiring whether Jem was okay with that.

Jem nodded at Charlotte, and she gave him a smile, one that Clary noticed made her appear a lot less stern.

Turning back to Clarissa, Charlotte motioned the girl to follow her.

"If you'll follow me Clarissa." Charlotte waited for Clary to walk towards her, and was less surprised than she might have been earlier when Clary turned to Jem before following Charlotte.

* * *

As Charlotte led her out of the infirmary and through the hallways, Clary's thoughts stayed with Jem. She'd wanted to help him, but she hadn't had much time to ask him about his illness, especially because he seemed to break into a coughing fit every time he tried to talk. But he'd been kinder than anyone she'd met before.

"Have you worn many dresses before Clarissa?" Charlottes question bought her attention to the women. It was odd after so long having figures of authority hanging over her to have one who was the same height as her, yet who installed more respect in her than others ever had. Perhaps it was because Clary knew she was a powerful woman in a time where men were the majority of power, or perhaps it was just the aura she gave off.

Thinking about the question almost made Clary groan. She couldn't remember wearing a dress (apart from the one Isabelle made her wear, and she doubted Charlotte was talking about that kind of dress) since she was five years old. She'd always preferred trousers or shorts. And considering the time frame it wasn't about to be an easy little sundress either.

"No. Not really. And, um, I prefer Clary." Not quite sure quite how Charlotte was as a person yet, she added the last bit on hesitantly.

"Well then Clary, I'm sure Sophie will be able to help you until you get used to it."

"Who's Sophie?"

"She's a servant, or maid for the Institute, but she isn't obliged to do everything for you, so I would suggest you treat her with respect." Charlotte's tone brooked no argument, not that Clary would have. The idea of the Institute having a servant was foreign to Clary, and made her a little uneasy, but Charlotte spoke of Sophie like a member of staff, not a slave, so Clary didn't say anything.

She only nodded.

They took a slight detour to find Thomas and send him to the infirmary, which Thomas was only too happy to do, nodding to Clary in acknowledgement.

They then carried on to Clary's new room, which was simple, but elegant, it definitely made Clary realise she was in the past.

The was a four poster bed, with a screen off to one side of the room and a table with a bowl and jug on it, although when she checked it was the chamber pot under the bed that made Clary's cheeks heat.

That was how Sophie found the two. Apparently Charlotte had asked Thomas to send Sophie to Clary's new room once he'd helped Jem to his room.

Clary was flushed with blushing, and Charlotte seemed amused at the younger girl.

When knocks ensued on the door, Charlotte quickly opened the door, and a young, dark haired girl stepped through, carrying a quite a few dresses in her arms.

"Mrs Branwell." The girl gave a short, but respectful (Clary assumed) curtsy to Charlotte, and then turned to Clary.

Clary was surprised to see a scar stretching across the girl's face, but met her eyes and smiled. Sophie wasn't the first person she'd met with scars. One of Luke's pack had a particularly gruesome scar stretching all the way from his chest to his face, and Clary had gotten accustomed to seeing scars on people.

"Hi. I'm Clary." Clary waved at the girl. She didn't look that much older than her. Clary made sure to maintain eye contact with the girl. Just so she didn't stare.

The girl looked at her, before she smiled. "I'm Sophie. Though I'm sure Mrs Branwell told you that."

"She did, but it's only polite to introduce myself, especially seeing as you're helping me."

At Sophie's slightly confused but curious look Charlotte stepped in.

"Clary here isn't very familiar with dresses, so I was hoping you could help her get accustomed to them."

Sophie's confused look cleared but her curious one remained.

Clary could guess what she was thinking.

"I know, weird, but I've always preferred trousers to skirts. More easy to move about in."

"It's a personal preference Miss, but I suppose if where you come from ladies wear trousers then it's perfectly expected."

Clary nodded, glad Sophie didn't think she was just an odd cross-dressing girl. Though she was a bit thrown by the Miss.

"Sophie, where I come from I'm not really used to be called Miss by anyone. Perhaps you could call me Clary?"

Sophie looked unsure, but Charlotte stepped in.

"If you are comfortable with that Sophie, I see no reason why you can't."

The dark haired girl looked surprised, but after a moment she nodded, and Clary beamed. Now that was settled she felt better. She wasn't used to stations, so if Sophie would refer to her the same as everyone else did, then she'd be glad.

"Thank you Sophie." Normally Clary would say thanks but she was trying to sound as formal as she could so she didn't stick out.

Not that she didn't stick out anyway Clary realised as they got round to the dresses.

Dresses were just pains in the arse, Clary concluded. She kept stepping on the skirts.

Did she even need to wear a corset? She was pretty small as it was.

Charlotte and Sophie agreed not to use corsets after Clary nearly tried to burn the one they put her in.

Slight exaggeration, but any corsets were put aside after that.

Clary found out that the dresses were some of Charlotte's things from when she was younger.

Clary wasn't surprised. They were practically the same height, the only difference was Charlotte was more developed, which gave Clary hope.

They were quite nice, Clary thought. Although perhaps she might be able to convince Charlotte to let her wear gear around the institute. She needed to train anyway.

* * *

By the time Clary had tried on all the dresses, and a few had been discarded, others put in the wardrobe, Sophie told her she'd be there to wake Clary up at seven, to which Clary made a horrified face, which had only made Sophie laugh slightly, telling her breakfast was at eight, and unless she could put on the dresses herself and get down to breakfast herself, then Sophie was going to be there at eight.

Now exhausted, Clary was relieved to finally be in bed. Luckily she didn't need any help to put a night dress on. Though Clary the ribbons were unnecessarily confusing.

Lying in bed Clary let the silence wash over her. No noise of cars outside or the hum of electricity. It was silent.

Pulling the blankets around her Clary sighed and wished for her sketchpad. Drawing always helped calm her down.

Perhaps she could ask Charlotte for some drawing materials in the morning.

After a while, Clary felt sleep settle over her, and gratefully slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **A/N: Remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

True to her word, Sophie was there at seven the next morning.

Clary was embarrassed at having to get Sophie to help her with everything, but the other girl just seemed to find Clary amusing. Which settled Clary slightly. At least she already had some people who she could get on with and rely on in this century.

"Thank you Sophie. I don't think I've needed anyone to dress me since I convinced my mother I didn't need to when I was five years old. It's odd to suddenly need the help again."

Sophie smiled at her in the mirror that they stood in front of.

"It is quite alright Clary." Sophie obviously was still unfamiliar with calling her by her first name, but Clary smiled at her to let her know she appreciated it.

"Can I wear my own shoes?" Clary had the thought suddenly.

"Well, until we get you new ones I suppose you will have to." Sophie frowned slightly.

Clary grinned.

"They'll go horribly I suppose?" The look Sophie gave her at that was too much for Clary to hold back the laughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sophie. Don' be mad with me. These dresses just seem so much. I never knew dresses to be so heavy." Clary gently teased Sophie as the other girl led her to the dining room where they would be having breakfast.

Or where Clary would be having breakfast. Sophie and the other servants didn't eat with the rest of the Institute, and even though Clary knew it was the customs of the time it still agitated her.

Especially because Clary knew Sophie now had a bigger load due to the loss of the Institutes cook until they got another one.

Clary could see the grief in the other girl's eyes and tried to keep the conversation light, to keep Sophie's mind off of it. She hoped the efforts didn't hurt more than they helped.

When Sophie left her for breakfast Clary was left to meet the rest of the Institutes occupants.

The event left the red-haired girl both smiling and wanting to punch someone.

Or several people, as it was.

Will and Jessamine were two of the most annoyingly arrogant people she'd ever met, although with Will it was less about his personality, and more about the fact he reminded her so strongly of Jace. It didn't help that he seemed intent to make people dislike him.

Tessa was polite and kind and seemed to be the only one who could divert Will's attention without being insulted.

Charlotte was just as gracious as when they had first met and Clary knew that if she lived here Charlotte would be someone she would rely on.

Jem wasn't there but Clary had already met someone else who came as a blessing in disguise.

Henry Branwell was friendly and amiable and the sight of another red-head had pleasantly surprised Clary.

Clary hadn't quite understood what he'd been talking about but she'd been fascinated by the detailed sketches he'd taken out of his pocket to show Charlotte.

They were amazing and so realistic Clary couldn't help but ask to see them.

She'd told Henry she liked drawing when he'd asked, but that she was clueless about machinery. He hadn't been bothered by that and had offered to let her use his drawing materials which had left Clary smiling like a baboon she was so happy.

She'd ignored Will's comments for the most part.

Now though, she had been left to do her own thing as most other people were busy.

Her thoughts trailed back to Jem, but she didn't know where his room was so couldn't go and see if he was alright.

She was slightly startled when Thomas came jogging down the Hall to her.

"Hello there Miss, Master Branwell asked me to give you these." He held out sheets of papery parchment and a stick of charcoal and Clary smiled brightly.

"Thank you Thomas, you can call me Clary by the way."

Thomas hesitated slightly.

Clary sighed but smiled at the young man, who smiled back at her.

"Are you lost?"

Clary blushed faintly.

"Is it that obvious?"

Thomas grinned.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Clary rolled her eyes. "Well then, would you mind showing me to wherever Jem is? I thought I'd check in and see if he's alright but I have no idea where he is."

Thomas smiled secretly, as though he knew something Clary didn't, but nodded.

"Master Will might me there, I'll warn you."

"That's alright, if so then I'll just check Jem is well." _Well._ It was such an odd thing for Clary to say.

Clary and Thomas talked aimlessly for a while as Thomas guided her through the Institute.

Will wasn't there as they found out.

But Jem was awake and playing a violin when they arrived.

Thomas left her there and Clary knocked tentatively on the open door.

Gently the music tapered off and Jem turned to the door inquisitively. Will never knocked.

Tessa was never so timid either.

Jem smiled brightly when he saw who it was.

"Clary. It's good to see you. What brings you here?"

Clary smiled at him. It was odd to hear someone mean what they say so honestly.

"I wanted to see if you were alright. But I didn't know how to get here. Thomas had to show me."

Jem smiled, but noticed Clary was still lingering in the doorway.

"You can come in. I won't bite."

Clary grinned and stepped through. Jem noticed she was wearing a dress this time, and whilst it didn't look bad he couldn't get the image of her in gear out of his head. She just seemed to belong in it better.

Which was an odd thought for Jem to have.

He tilted his head as he caught a glimpse of her shoes.

They did not fit with the rest of the outfit.

Clary seemed to see what he was looking at and angled her foot so it showed from underneath her skirts better.

"Jealous of my shoes Jem?"

Jem let out a startled laugh.

"Of course."

He moved to sit on his bed and Clary joined him easily.

He looked at her. In the dress she was wearing she looked a little like a China doll due to her petite figure.

She caught him looking.

"What?"

Jem shook his head.

"Nothing."

Clary raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," She said drily. "Okay."

Jem looked at her inquisitively and Clary almost snorted.

"I'll let you figure it out by the tone. Anyway, Henry gave me some drawing materials."

Jem smiled at the blatant change of topic.

"Can I draw you?" Clary looked at him with those wide green eyes and the thought of saying no didn't even go through his head.

"If you want to."

Clary's radiant smile made him smile shyly back at her.

"Okay, so you don't need to pose, just keep on talking to me."

Jem tried to relax as he talked to Clary, who nudged off her shoes and swung her body to she was sitting on Jem's bed facing him.

Jem passed her a book and she smiled gratefully.

"So tell me about you. Likes, dislikes, hobbies."

As Jem talked he relaxed further as Clary hummed and sometimes added occasional words to their rather one-sided conversational.

As he spoke Clary learned Jem was parabatai with Will, something which both surprised her and didn't. It made sense that the boys would balance each other out, at least from what she'd seen so far.

From where she'd drawn him sat at the end of his bed, with his silver hair falling lightly in his eyes, his shirt was loose around his collarbones and Clary traced a faint outline of the parabatai rune where the shirt was concealing it, and then made it bolder where it just peaked out of his shirt.

She made sure to get his angles right, subtly gazing at his long slender hands for a bit too long when he mentioned he'd been playing the violin since he was a child. She was going to have to draw him playing the violin at some point.

She learnt he had been born in Shanghai, China and knew Mandarin.

As Jem kept talking Clary subtly incorporated parts of what he was saying into the drawing.

She drew a cat wound around Jem's leg on the bed, one hand brought up to cup the cat's head gently, as though stroking it.

The other hand was draped over his raised knee in an imitation of the position he was in currently, the angelic rune sat there so naturally.

Clary itched to add wings to the drawing, but refrained, this was a drawing of Jem.

Even if he did look angelic.

Next time. An angel playing the violin.

Clary smiled at her own thoughts.

It took a while before Clary glanced up to realise Jem had stopped speaking. Instead he was gazing at her and Clary blushed faintly.

Her hands now liberal covered in charcoal smudges and stains Clary was careful not to touch her surroundings.

She set the drawing and all the other blank pages down with the now much smaller charcoal stick and smiled when Jem gently gasped her wrists before pulling her over to a bowl with a half-full jug of water next to it.

She still wasn't used to sinks with taps attached not being a common thing yet.

Clary washed her hands and absently dried her hands on her skirt, catching Jem's smirk, before pulling him over to the drawing.

She was slightly nervous about showing it to him but ignored it and passed him the drawing.

Jem's eyes widened and she saw him scan the picture, his eyes lingering on certain parts for a while before moving on.

"This is amazing. Where did you learn do draw like this?"

Clary shrugged.

"I've always been able to draw, I've been drawing since I can remember. My mom's an artist too."

Jem lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Do you mind if I keep it?" He asked, studying her reaction when she paused slightly.

Clary didn't generally give her drawings to people, preferring to keep them, but…

"Yes, of course you can."

James smiled at her and Clary felt rewarded.

"Thank you."

She watched as Jem slid the picture between the pages of a book gently to stop it from getting creased.

"Yesterday, you said you didn't have much training, yet when I saw you, you looked as though you knew exactly what you were doing. You didn't fight like a fresh recruit."

"I was mainly just going on instinct. I had the help of the rune as well."

"You must have really good instincts then."

Clary tilted her head.

"I suppose. But don't all shadow hunters? It's in our blood after all."

Jem nodded.

"Every shadow hunter is naturally inclined to fight as that is what Raziel put us here to do, but still, some are better than others."

Clary nodded and Jem couldn't tell what she was thinking of exactly, but he didn't interrupt her.

"I can see that." Clary looked at him. "I still want to get better though. I don't like having rely on other people to save me."

Jem smiled at her.

"Well, it seem you are in the right place then. An institute is the perfect place to train, and I am sure we can find someone to train you. Charlotte's often busy, but if she can find the time it might be helpful to ask her to help you seeing as you are very similar in build so will probably fight similarly."

"I never would have thought of that." When she'd made the connection between their similar heights and builds fighting style hadn't even crossed her thoughts.

Jem smiled shyly at her.

"It was just an observation. Anyway, I'm sure we'll find someone. Will, my parabatai, is one of the best shadow hunters our age."

Clary winced slightly at the idea of asking Will to help her train.

"He's not that bad." Jem's voice was slightly amused but also resigned and almost heavy-hearted at the same time.

Clary's face heated as she realised she'd been caught.

"It's not that, it's just…" Clary trailed off as she tried to come up with the words she needed. "He just reminds me of someone."

"A friend of yours?" Jem enquired.

Clary winced again.

"Perhaps not then."

"I'm sure he's very nice when you get to know him." Clary attempted.

"Who's very nice once you get to know him?" A voice sounded from the doorway.

Clary twisted round sharply, accidentally moving her arm to shield Jem, something she doubted he would appreciate.

Will stood in the doorway, one dark eyebrow impeccably raised and blue eyes staring at her before flickering to Jem.

"You have an odd penchant for luring women to your room Jem."

Jem flushed and Clary knew she was just as red as she turned round to look at him, only to see he was frowning at Will.

"Very funny William, you're going to give people the wrong impression if you keep saying things like that."

"Perhaps, but I'm sure Miss Fairchild here is a good judge of character, if not, well, her loss."

Clary rolled her eyes at the dramatics, huffing slightly as she stood.

"I'll leave you two to it then. Mr Herondale. Jem." She nodded to Will, turning to smile at Jem.

"You don't have to leave." Jem frowned slightly as he too stood.

"It's fine, I was thinking perhaps I would go and see Henry, he promised to explain some of his mechanisms to me."

Jem looked surprised and slightly put out, but Clary couldn't help it. Will reminded her far too much of Jace and she knew if she stayed in his presence much longer she'd probably take out some misplaced anger on him and end up insulting him or something similar.

"I'll see you around, I'm sure." She smiled at him before quickly slipping out as she saw Will about to make some kind of comment she wasn't completely sure she wanted to hear.


End file.
